Wednesday, March 27, 2013

The
Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), presented by American Express, today
announced the return of their signature free community events: the
Tribeca Drive-In (April 18-20), Family Festival Street Fair (April 27),
Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day (April 27), and Family Screenings (April 21 and
27).

TFF
also announced the three film titles that will screen free for the
community at the Tribeca Drive-In movie series at Brookfield Place
(World Financial Center Plaza), co-sponsored by AT&T and JetBlue,
and hosted by Brookfield. The series will kick off with the classic
Hitchcock film, The Birds, followed by Tim Burton’s beloved comedy Beetlejuice and a screening of Lil Bub & Friendz,
a new film playing in the Festival about a cat made famous online and
his friends. Games and activities for all ages will take place before
each screening, including movie trivia, a ghoulish costume contest, face
painting, prize giveaways and more.

READY FOR SOME EYE CANDY??!! The other day we brought you up to speed on the Wolverine with an overview of this movie's plot, what else we know of the film to date and the events from comics that this movie borrows from. This was all the pre-show for the lil video we present today. Actually, two trailers dropped this morning, but as usual, the American trailer is high on drama while the International trailer has Silver Samurai and a swarm of ninjas attacking our favorite Canadian. So we go International, of course...

Madness is coming again! The response to the first series of figures from from the hit video game American McGee's Alice: Madness Returns was so overwhelmingly positive that Diamond Select Toys is coming out with yet another version of heroine Alice Liddell!
Joining the standard Alice and Hysteria Alice figures is Royal Suit Alice, featuring Ms. Liddell in yet another outfit that provides different benefits and abilities in different regions of Wonderland. Alice acquires the Royal Suit, which helps her access her invincible Hysteria mode, in the ruins of Queensland, where the Queen of Hearts is slowly regaining her power. Royal Suit Alice comes armed with her Vorpal Blade, Hobby Horse and Pepper Grinder weapons. Check out the packaging below, and look for Alice to hit comic shops and specialty stores in April!

Between Kick-Ass 2, Guardians of the Galaxy, Amazing Spider-Man 2, X-Men First Class 2, Captain America: Winter Soldier, Thor: The Dark World, Superman: Man of Steel and Iron Man 3, it would be very easy to forget about a little film called The Wolverine!! ..that is unless you are a woman (or man) in love with Hugh Jackman and his veiny muscles. For you, every second you have to wait for this movie is pure agony. Luckily, the film's marketing department have been releasing plenty of posters with good ole' Hugh...shirtless...of course. Before we believe this is their ENTIRE pitch for the film, FOX have given EW some exclusive info and images..you know..for those of us that like silly things like plot, comic to screen story lines being translated faithfully and those all important comic hero cameos. Here's what we know so far...

Possible Spoilers Ahead for those not keeping track of every bit of Iron Man 3 news so read on at your own peril! Iron Man 3 is so close to release now, you can taste it. It's frenzy time. With one month to go, you have to make the choice to either fully immerse yourself in every piece of poster art, every movie still, trailers and clips from around the world...or do what I do and at some point start yelling "LALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!" and run screaming from any geek with a phone trying to show you the latest reveal for a film that doesn't have many reveals left for opening day. ONE MONTH. Will you dive head first into the spoilery seas of media over-saturation...or duck and cover til May 3rd?

Sunday, March 24, 2013

To celebrate the release of the first Hobbit film on Blu-ray and DVD, Peter Jackson rallied the troops to talk about the next installment and show a nice, fat clip featuring Gandalf and your favorite poo-headed wizard, Radagast! Stay on board after the clip and see some "making of" bits from The Desolation of Smaug as well. Now the real question is, will a meaty clip like this tide you over in the months to come or further enhance the agony of a long wait til the second film in the series premieres?? LET'S FIND OUT!!

Saturday, March 23, 2013

The story revolves around United Nations employee Gerry Lane (Pitt), who
traverses the world in a race against time to stop the Zombie pandemic
that is toppling armies and governments and threatening to decimate
humanity itself. Enos plays Gerry’s wife Karen Lane; Kertesz is his
comrade in arms, Segen.

Thanks to Wilson from Blackfilm for the heads up on the trailer and Collider for the poster!

Friday, March 22, 2013

Vin Diesel is hitting the big screen hard this year. First we got a taste of Fast and the Furious 6 (releasing May 24th), which looks to put all those other silly car movies to shame with a little Spy Hunter-esque spin on things...and now...Riddick is back. All hail the King of Necromongers....or are we forgetting that happened? Either way...pretty psyched.

Left for dead on a sun-scorched planet, Riddick finds himself up against
an alien race of predators. Activating an emergency beacon alerts two
ships: one carrying a new breed of mercenary, the other captained by a
man from Riddick's past. Hit the jump for the teaser!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Video Game fans love their favorite titles with such passion that they often want to collect items detailing the slightest details in a game...from signage on a factory wall to an armed character seen blurry in the background of one scene for 10 seconds, three installments back. I SWEAR HE HAD A NEW WEAPON SO WE NEED AN ACTION FIGURE OF HIM DAMNIT!!! Now the evil sorcerers at NECA take us back into the world of Borderlands with a new Claptrap design...

Known to the world as the Godfather of G.I. Joe..and to us grown lil boys and girls as "That awesome guy who gave life to a billion characters we still love today" through his writing on the Marvel Comics series and those file cards on the back of just about every damn G.I. Joe figure, Larry Hama remains a beloved icon in our geek universe and a true class act. Two days or so ago, Larry got to sit in on a screening of the newest Joe film and had this to say...

In the wake of a shocking act of terror from within their own organization, the crew of The Enterprise is called back home to Earth. In defiance of regulations and with a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads his crew on a manhunt to capture an unstoppable force of destruction and bring those responsible to justice.

As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

In select theaters in IMAX 3D May 15th // In theaters everywhere May 17th

Characters have crossed over from one comic universe to another before, but they usually fight, shake hands, band together to defeat a common enemy and then slip back into their home domain with no real excuse as to how they got their in the first place. Hell, DC and Marvel even mashed their characters together in the mess that was the Amalgam Universe (which gives me chills just thinking about it.) We won't return there. Tis' a silly place. Today, Newsrama has alerted us that a major character in the Spawn-iverse will be stepping onto Marvel Comics soil for the finale of the massive Age of Ultron event..and it seems she'll be moving in for a while!

The "About" says this is from an event that just passed, and it may be, but after reading all the breakdowns of the footage from San Diego Comic Con, you know this is that very footage. They wanted to know if you'd go for a hyper-intelligent, size changing super hero that can summon hordes of insects at a moment's notice...Directed by the guy who brought us Sean of the Dead no less. Umm...I'm buying what they're selling. Reserve me a seat NOW.

Where's the art, folks? Must I remind you of the golden age of movies when hand painted poster graced the lobbies of theaters across the globe? To a lesser extent, do I need to point to the excellent work of our friends at Lionsgate during the early days of Saw and Hostel? It's more than a bit sad when the multimillion dollar block buster movie's posters get outclassed but horror art. SHUDDER AT THE THOUGHT!! I'll go further and point to Mondo who TOTALLY get that we would love a little more showmanship behind the roll out of a film beyond the 16 trailers and clips making sure nothing is a surprise once you take your seat on opening day. Do we love what Mondo does with their artistic renditions of beloved movie posters? Does a sold out stack of 50 dollar posters give you a clue?

Meteor Entertainment™ and Adhesive Games™ are boxing up swag, computers, and a giant 8-foot mech to travel across the country and back again in support of HAWKEN at PAX East and GDC.

This year at PAX East, HAWKEN will be playable in the Meteor Entertainment booth 1080. Visitors will also be able to play HAWKEN at Asus in booth 762, Logitech in booth 1056, and at Machinima in booths 613 & 712. Attendees can sign up to play HAWKEN with our friends at Gunnar in booth 374, NVIDIA in booth 862; and don’t forget to purchase your HAWKEN swag including shirts, posters and more at We Love Fine in booth 593.

The latest Iron Man 3 trailer has everyone talking about what kind of products we'll see on toy store shelves as the movie's release date approaches. And while they still need to keep some of their figures under wraps, Diamond Select Toys has unveiled two more Marvel Minimates based on the film!

The first, "Suit Up" Tony Stark, will be one of four Toys "R" Us-exclusive Minimates, and will come packaged with a mystery figure to be revealed later. He is shown wearing parts of the Mark 42 armor, which can be summoned and controlled via mental link in the film, as seen in the trailer. The boots and gauntlets will be removable, and Tony will also come with regular hands and shoes.

Lock the door and prepare for the walker apocalypse as Terminal Reality’s The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct video game is now available at retail outlets nationwide. Based on AMC’s Emmy® Award-winning TV series, The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct follows the show’s fan favorite, crossbow-wielding Daryl Dixon, played by Norman Reedus, and his overbearing brother Merle, played by Michael Rooker, on a haunting, unforgiving journey through the walker-infested Georgia countryside.The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct is a first-person action survival game that brings to life the authentic, heart-stopping horrors of the AMC Emmy® award-winning TV series The Walking Dead. In the game, players assume the role of the crossbow-wielding survivor Daryl Dixon (voiced by Norman Reedus from AMC's hit TV series) alongside his brother Merle (voiced by costar Michael Rooker).

“Castle” Star Nathan Fillion, fellow “Serenity” and Firefly headliner Summer Glau, Eisner Award Hall of Famer Stan Lee and WWE® Superstars John Cena® and Daniel Bryan® are at the top of a standout roster of celebrity guests scheduled to appear at Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con, May 30 – June 2 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. It is the third in the 2013 series produced by Wizard World, Inc. and will also feature a top-drawer collection of well-known artists and writers and a variety of activities, exhibitors and special attractions.

ThinkGeek has provisioned an away team for the trip to Hoth (aka Boston, MA) for PAX East March 22-24, 2013. This intrepid team will be traveling with never-before-seen limited edition Minecraft and Portal Con Tour Exclusives.

The ThinkGeek 2013 Con Tour Exclusives are:

Gold Pickaxe and Sword from Minecraft – A follow up to the Minecraft Foam Sword and Foam Pickaxe, two of ThinkGeek's most popular items, the Gold version has shiny EVA foam and all the con bling you'll need. Retail will be $25 for each.
Starfield Portal 2 Turret with Sound – Oh, there you are. This special edition variant on ThinkGeek's Portal 2 Turret LED Flashlight is bound to be a sought-after collector's item. This can be yours for $10.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

When making the ultimate collectible for a much beloved series of any sort, you can start 1 of 2 ways. One would be to begin with the basics like accessories essential to the character...get all that minutia filled in to get the fans salivating and then wow them with the full reveal proclaiming YOUR toy is the BEST toy in the verse and no other toy is worthy to stand next to it. Another road would be to show off the hardest bit of a 12 inch action figure first, for the approval and comments of those die hard fans, so you are assured they are in love by the time you show off a perfectly fitting outfit and all the little bits packed along with it. In the case of a 12 inch action figure, the hardest bit is always the head, as nailing the likeness of a human being is more an art than anything else. Big Chief always seems to go the second route and today, continue that fine tradition with the reveal of the heads for their Sherlock 12 inch action figures at the Birmingham Memorabilia show this weekend.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Let's face it...we are spoiled. We live in a time of nearly instant
gratification, dream projects made real and a constant parade of geekery
at our fingertips. We also live in a world where highly talented people
can find each other and join forces to create something new, original,
and untouched by the Hollywood machine...or attempt to do so. With that
thought in your cranium, we'd like to introduce you to The Devil's Tree.

We've been covering the Tribeca Film Festival for some time now and know full well just navigating the massive lineup is a daunting task, so we've done some of the heavy lifting for you. Know that you can always hit up the full Film Guide on your own time (in fact we encourage it!), but until then, below, you'll find a run down of the titles we found most interesting, whether it be for the plot, creators or actors involved...and sometimes all 3! It's just a slice of the full list, but still a hefty chunk of info, so let's get right into it...

If there's one thing animated films excel at it is asking "What If" or "What happens next...". You may say that is the job of all movies, but only animation has the power to take that answer anywhere they wish with no budgetary restrictions due to special effects and such. Blow up whateeever you want...they'll make more. Toy Story asked what happens after you leave the room and your childhood playthings are left to their own devices. As an adult with a legion of playthings, I'd like to think if anyone tried to break into my apartment, the toys would mount a suitable defense and all I'd find upon returning would be like..a shoe, the tool used to jack open my door and my toys sitting around slightly askew from how I'd left them, doing their best to pretend nothing had happened....but somewhere out there, there's a dude with one shoe limping home. Now Wreck-It Ralph answers the question "What happens after the arcade closes?" The movie proposes that the arcade is a universe unto itself with all games attached to a power strip, uniting them. To be unplugged from the strip equals digital death. ....Oh man...so many nerdy questions.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and one woman will get her revenge this April when Sexy Evil Genius arrives on DVD, Digital Download and Video on Demand on April 9 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Starring Seth Green (Austin Powers franchise), Katee Sackhoff (TV’s “Battlestar Galactica”), William Baldwin (Backdraft), Michelle Trachtenberg (TV’s “Gossip Girl”) and Harold Perrineau (HBO’s “Oz”), the sexy crime thriller featuring an audio commentary and documentary, will be available on DVD for the suggested retail price of $26.98.

A group of people are lured to the same bar in downtown Los Angeles by Nikki, an ex-girlfriend they all have in common. Beautiful, conniving and downright insane, Nikki has one last surprise in store for her ex-lovers….

File this under HOLY DAMN!! First the newest Iron Man 3 trailer blew you out of your seats with an army of auto-piloted suits going to war. NOW we get a killer Kick-Ass 2 trailer with more beat downs, bullets and ball shots than you can count...well...without 4 to 6 viewings. I know most of you will want this on repeat for the remainder of the day anyway...

This St. Patrick’s
Day weekend, Cartoon Network goes green with BEN 10 BOOTCAMP! With 17 hours of
Ben 10 movies and episodes from every Ben 10 series, Ben 10 Boot Camp is the perfect way for long-time fans to
relive favorite moments and for new fans to get to know Ben better.

The fun begins on
Saturday, March 16 at 9 a.m. (ET, PT) with a brand-new one-hour Ben 10 Omniverse special, “Frogs of
War.”Emperor
Milleous, Princess Attea, and their unstoppable Incursean forces have invaded!
Can Ben, Rook, and the Plumbers stop them from frogging up the Earth? And make
sure to keep an eye out for the debut of this new Ben alien!

BBC Home Entertainment presents exciting, terrifying and mind-blowing dinosaur discoveries with this trio of DVDs, all available March 12, 2013: Extreme Dinosaurs, Predator Dinosaurs, and Prehistoric Park.

The first DVD, Extreme Dinosaurs, is a Dino Double Feature that will challenge a number of the previous perceptions of the Tyrannosaurus rex. In Extreme Dinosaurs, the first on the double-bill, Paleontologist Dr. Phillip Currie believes he has found a fiercer predator than the T-Rex: a six-ton flesh-eating dinosaur, the Argentinosaurus, which hunted its prey in packs. Until recently there was little evidence to support Currie's theories but now with the discovery of two mass dinosaur graves on his hands, he is able to gather the evidence to prove his theory to be true.

Capcom is thrilled to confirm that Darkstalkers Resurrection is now available to download in North America on PlayStation Network (PSN) for $14.99. On March 13, the game will be released in Europe on PSN (€14.99 / £11.99) and across all territories on Xbox LIVE Arcade for 1200 Microsoft Points.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

The annual South by South West interactive conference and festival is underway with new films premiering daily along side new innovations in technology and in some cases, presentations on how to better use the technology we have to create an exciting multi-media experience for the masses. Since Marvel Entertainment is on the front lines of the daily war for your entertainment buck, they would not miss a show like this. Here are the highlights from their presentations...

Welcome to the first edition of Our Plastic Friends, where we check out a new toy and make you want it so bad, you hate us for it. It's a calling.

Diamond Select/ Marvel Select have had a 7 inch scaled action figure license for Marvel Comics for some time now. The sculpts are excellent, the paints are clean and plentiful and the quality is top notch. If there was one thing I could point out with this line that we DO continually moan about is the character choice. After all, we've got Hasbro cranking out endless numbers of Spider-Man, Iron Man and Captain America action figures...WE DON'T NEED NO MO!! There's also a matter of a 6 inch scale most of us toy obsessed folks have been collecting for years, so while we don't need 7 inch standard sized heroes and villains, we do welcome gargantuan monsters and overly pumped up, roid ragin humans who look like they can swallow up our heroes in one gulp. Give us giant sized Marvel characters and we'll just throw our money at you as we pass..all day long. THIS is where Marvel Select slides in like an 8 foot ninja with no smoke bombs.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures jointly announced today that writer/director Christopher Nolan’s “INTERSTELLAR” will be co-produced and distributed by the two studios, with Paramount Pictures handling Domestic distribution and Warner Bros. Pictures distributing the film Internationally. “INTERSTELLAR” will be released beginning November 7, 2014, in theaters and IMAX®.

Directed and written by Academy Award-nominee Nolan (“INCEPTION,” “THE DARK KNIGHT RISES”), “INTERSTELLAR” is based on a script by Jonathan Nolan. The film will be produced by Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan of Syncopy Films and Obst of Lynda Obst Productions. Kip Thorne will executive produce. The film will depict a heroic interstellar voyage to the furthest reaches of our scientific understanding.

It's the Futurama battle to end all battles...and the boxed set we weren't sure was going to get made! Once, a San Diego Comic Con exclusive and now, a highly sought after piece needed to complete a collection (aka the GAPING HOLE on your Futurama shelf), Destructor returns to shut Bender's pie-hole once and for all.

From the vault of classic Futurama series 2. This excellent and outrageous duo of action figures from fan favorite episode Raging Bender, in which Bender cross dresses to lose a fixed fight in URFL against a spectacularly oversized opponent, The Destructor.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

When Nathan Fillion isn't answering the heated, desperate questions sent by the hordes of Twitter, he is a very busy man with an acting career that stretches well beyond that little Firefly show you keep demanding return...in any form. Of course I am being sarcastic...but only when I don't include myself in the group begging for more Firefly. Browncoats Rule. ANYWAY, the man called Fillion is so busy, as to not disappoint fans chasing him down the halls of San Diego Comic Con, he created these cards...

If you attend Philadelphia Wizard World this Spring...the chase will be over.

When MTV popped up up with plans for a Teen Wolf TV series, I'll admit I was more than a bit ..well...I was laughing. It was a belly laugh, but peppered with notions that MTV couldn't do too much to ruin a one paragraph long premise they stretched into a full movie by swiping after school special episodes. Then I talked to the show writer Jeff Davis and the crew's dedication to making something fun, intense and interesting piqued my attention. It would be some months later when the crew sent me season 1 on DVD, which I watched in one weekend. To be sure, this isn't Walking Dead-like with folks being disemboweled by blood thirsty lycanthropes every episode, but for something called Teen Wolf...on MTV...there is no shortage of carnage and monster action tempered with quick, witty writing...and the expected mushy moments for the TEENS called upon by the title. Most importantly, the show doesn't pander to their expected youth audience and have banged out a solid story line. Not only are the ideas presented compelling, but the characters involved are highly likable, so the result is a show that quickly grows on you..and thus..causes you to devour an entire season at lightning speeds!

So the comics are back...and the toys are everywhere with no signs of slowing down...and the cartoon is going strong, but there was still a gaping hole in your heart that needed to be filled by wise crackin' mutant turtle kids...who are NINJAS...

DC Comics’ greatest superheroes and their arch nemeses face-off in an action-packed, hilarious battle in LEGO Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite. Based on the popular video game, TT Animation produced the full-length animated feature for May 21, 2013 distribution by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment as a Blu-ray™ Combo Pack ($24.98 SRP) and DVD ($19.98 SRP), On Demand and for Digital Download. The Blu-ray™ Combo Pack will include UltraViolet™*. Release will include an exclusive Lego Clark Kent/Superman figurine on pack while supplies last.

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